Over the last decade, we’ve worked closely with cultural groups from across the city to bring a whole world of music to our stage. One of those key partnerships has been with LUMA Creations – an organisation that showcases the vibrancy and spirit of Latin America. Now, LUMA is celebrating 50 years since its founders came to Liverpool as refugees, and of course it’s our tenth anniversary too, so we know they’ll be bringing a real party…
Tonight, LUMA returns to the Music Room with La Feria Festival for the third year running, bringing with them a powerful evening of musical innovation and cultural connection, as the acclaimed Antonio Monasterio Ensamble makes their UK debut.
Legendary musician and broadcaster Tom Robinson has become a bit of a regular in the Music Room over the years, bringing much anticipated shows to our stage every year. So, of course, we had to have him back – now for the fourth time – as part of our anniversary celebrations, and he’s bringing a real treat of an evening.
Tom Robinson presents an evening of songs and stories from fifty years wandering the wilder shores of the record industry. Classic hits such as ‘War Baby’, ‘Up Against The Wall’, and ‘2-4-6-8 Motorway’ rub shoulders with a Radio 1 ban for being ‘Glad To be Gay’, rocking against racism with The Clash, writing songs with Elton John, headlining Glasto with Peter Gabriel, drug smuggling in East Germany, two nervous breakdowns and a year in tabloid hell after falling in love with a woman. Plus fan favourites from his vast back catalogue, spanning Café Society in 1975 to his acclaimed 2015 comeback album, Only The Now.
Ian Prowse’s Monday Club at the Cavern is the stuff of legend, and Ian himself is a legend in the Music Room. So it only makes sense that we combine the two as part of our Music Room 10 celebrations. Ian Prowse – the Music Room’s most frequent performer – joins us to present a curated showcase of some of his favourite artists in a very special edition of the Monday Club.
Liverpool Biennial returns this summer once again showcasing cutting-edge contemporary visual art across the city region. Running alongside it is the Independents Biennial, with 22 newly commissioned works by 64 artists. Independents Biennial sets out to highlight the incredible work of the city’s grassroots artists, an integral part of the backbone of Liverpool’s creative scene.
Independent galleries and Liverpool’s creative networks are placed into the spotlight, as artists are given a chance to make a name for themselves in the UK’s largest and longest-running free festival of art, as well as celebrating Liverpool’s creativity and cultural significance.
What makes the Independents Biennial truly special is its commitment to non-traditional spaces. Art isn’t just confined to galleries – the festival utilises all spaces to showcase its artists work, including Hilbre Island off the coast of the Wirral, Belle Vale shopping centre and empty units in St Helens town centre. It celebrates the versatility of art, and how artists can use any space and turn anything into phenomenal, thought-provoking pieces of art.
Independents Biennial will span each of Liverpool’s six boroughs, with each location offering something unique and inspirational. Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral, St Helens, Halton and Liverpool city centre will host these 64 independent artists and provide them and their work with a home for the summer.
Independents Biennial: Our Highlights
While the entire programme promises to be unforgettable, we’ve picked out a few exhibitions that are especially worth checking out…
The Right Map by Ghost Art School
You won’t want to miss The Right Map by Ghost Art School, a collective that exists between margins and creates art that challenges the conventions of traditional institutions. The Right Map is described as “a constellation of art exhibitions across Liverpool, unfolding under the banner of the Independents Biennial.” It brings together a series of exhibitions across the city region, including UNSTABLE in Port Sunlight, In Search of Swallows and Amazons in Kensington, Account in Birkenhead, and Slipstream on Blundell Street in the city centre.
Tom Stockley and Ruaíri Valentine
Building on this theme of place and disruption, Tom Stockley and Ruaíri Valentine bring their deep dive into Wirral psychogeography to the festival with Weird Wirral. Inspired by a gothic poem, the duo turns to folklore and legend, guiding us through the shorelines and landscapes of the Wirral to uncover traces of magic and forgotten stories hidden in the land.
Claire Beerjeraz
Meanwhile, at the Victoria Gallery, Claire Beerjeraz offers a powerful reflection on the legacies of colonialism and slavery. Their multidisciplinary exhibition explores how these histories are displayed, contained, and remembered within institutional spaces. With a tapestry of spoken word and clay, Claire weaves together personal and collective memory, urging us to look beneath the surface of memorials and museum walls—and to reimagine how art institutions can hold space for difficult truths.
Amy Flynn Technofossils
Amy Flynn Technofossils
In another standout piece, artist Amy Flynn invites us to consider the legacy of our modern waste through Technofossils—human-made objects and materials that will persist in the geological record for millions of years. Her pewter cast sculptures are deliberately alluring at first glance: sparkling gemstones and shiny metals entice the viewer in. But look closer, and you’ll find the contours of outdated mobile phones and discarded plastic food containers—rubbish masquerading as treasure. This journey through desire and disgust mimics the cycle of consumerism, exploring themes of duality: artificial/organic, worthless/precious, temporary/permanent, growth/decay.
Venus in Transit: A Cosmic Journey Through Liverpool
Explore Liverpool’s history through a cosmic lens in this bold, multi-part project that blends astrology, storytelling, and live art. Back in 1639, Toxteth-born astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks became the first person to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun—a pivotal moment in the history of astronomy. In astrology, Venus is associated with beauty and creativity, and this project asks how these Venusian themes have helped shape Liverpool’s identity across the centuries. This is part one of a collaboration between Independents Biennial and the Museum of Liverpool’s Global City series—and promises to be an unforgettable deep dive into the city’s star-studded past and artistic present.
Discover the full Independents Biennial programme
Independents Biennial will take place across Liverpool from 7 June to 14 September 2025. This year’s festival is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet. With so much to explore, experience, and be inspired by, Independents Biennial is a must for anyone looking to make the most of the city’s creative summer—it’s definitely at the top of our plans!
Society of Losers presents Loserpalooza 4 at Future Yard on Saturday 2nd August packed with 9 bands across 2 stages for extra fun! Frenetic alt-rock behemoths Pulled Apart By Horses headline, with Crapsons + Two Tonne Machete joining the bill, plus many more still to come.
Future Now returns home for 2025 with three separate shows at Future Yard across Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th August, once again bringing the future of music to the Left Bank on August Bank Holiday.
PUSSY RIOT: RIOT DAYS headline the outdoor FY Garden stage on Sunday 24th August, the art punk protest collective, made up of Masha Alyokhina, Olga Borisova, Diana Burkot and Lucy Shtein close our August Bank Holiday collection of shows with a live show and performance art piece. CLT DRP, Alien Chicks and Jodie Langford all perform in Birkenhead (more acts still to come!) for a day of punk resistance.
Riot Days is a multimedia performance featuring Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina and is based on her memoir of the same name. The project blends live music, spoken word, video, and performance art to tell the story of the group’s activism and her experience in a Russian prison following their infamous 2012 protest. After touring internationally Riot Days is back with a new show in 2025 including topics such as the oppression and violence against the LGBTQ+ community, the story of Alexey Navalny and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Individual day tickets available now. A limited number of reduced price ticket bundles for Sunday and Friday’s Future Now Opening Night are also available.
Future Now returns home for 2025 with three separate shows at Future Yard across Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th August, once again bringing the future of music to the Left Bank on August Bank Holiday.
Los Bitchos headline the outdoor FY Garden Stage on Saturday 23rd August, a pan-global instrumental collective tripping out on Tequila and sun-kissed Cumbia vibes, and also curate the day’s line-up, featuring Lime Garden, Mandrake Handshake + Yumi and the Weather (more still tba!), for a day of blissed-out indie, pysch and alt-pop under the blazing Birko sun.
Made up of lead guitarist Serra, who carries both Australian and Turkish heritage, Uruguayan synth and keytar player Agustina Ruiz, Swedish bassist Josefine Jonsson and British drummer Nic Crawshaw, Los Bitchos are united by a commitment to having fun. It’s a contagious energy they’ve had no problem transmitting to the world since the band officially arrived in 2019.
Individual day tickets available now. A limited number of reduced price ticket bundles for Saturday and Friday’s Future Now Opening Night are also available.
Liverpool Bach Collective was formed in 2013, with the aim of putting on performances of J S Bach’s cantatas in churches in and around Liverpool every month as part of Sunday Evensong or Vespers. The cantatas chosen are based on, or are at least relevant to, the readings of the day in the churches visited.
The Collective usually consists of eight singers and an ensemble of around ten players, generally strings, oboes, bassoon and organ; the ensemble is enlarged when the music demands it. The performers are a mix of professional, semi-professional and amateur musicians, all of whom have a love for the music of Bach and are united in their passion and their commitment in performing these wonderful works.
As the Collective’s season began, so it ends, with a cantata of general praise as the Collective’s contribution to this year’s Prescot Festival. In this festive work, to the usual instrumental ensemble, four vocal soloists and chorus, are added three trumpets and timpani.
By the end of the current season, the Collective will have given eighty-one cantata performances, involving sixty-six different cantatas in forty-three churches, from Hightown to Rainhill and Ince Blundell to Birkenhead. The ensemble continues to enlarge its following of interested listeners.
The Sandbox Showcase: A Night of Short Films & Creative Community
Step into the world of short film and retro nostalgia at the Sandbox Showcase. A unique 90s-themed evening hosted by Let’s Make Films, spotlighting the best emerging filmmaking voices from Liverpool & the North West.
Taking place at Picturehouse @ FACT on Tuesday, 20th May, the night is part film screening, part creative hangout and fully focused on community, fun and discovery.
From 4:30, we’re transforming the bar area into a vibrant throwback experience, with 90s-inspired activities for all to enjoy. Expect:
Classic Arcade Machines
Pop Boutique pop-up store offering 10% off vintage gear with your ticket.
Retro gaming from Pixel Bar (plus one hour free of gaming time after the showcase)
Pop-Up video rental shops from Tape Trove & VideOdyssey
Free film rental vouchers courtesy of Snips Movies
At 6:30 pm, we head into the cinema for a specially curated screening of 12 short films by some of the region’s exciting filmmakers. Bold, Personal and inventive work that captures the creative spirit of the Sandbox.
After the credits roll, stick around for post-screening drinks, chats with the filmmakers, and more time with your creative community.
? Doors & Activities from 4:30 | Screening from 6:30
?️ Tickets: £4
Whether you’re a filmmaker, a vintage obsessive, or just curious about Liverpool’s creative scene, this is your invitation to be part of something different. Come dressed in your best 90s look and help us build a new kind od film night for the city.
Thinking of attending a LivIrishFest event? Or, perhaps, the heritage sites of the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail are calling you?
Well, we’re delighted to announce that the kind people at Liverpool Kabbanas have conjured up a discount code that snips an impressive 20% off the price of staying at their Mathew Street property. Yes, that’s Mathew Street in the bustling heart of Liverpool!
Use the following code, when booking on their website, to avail of the offer: irishfest
Click here to book.
Go on, get your groovy socks (and/or sandals) on and make your way to the glorious port of Liverpool ASAP! You know we love to have visitors and Kabbanas is great for groups, so why not bring some friends? ❤️?❤️
What do Kabbanas say about themselves?
Traveling with friends as a couple or with colleagues? Kabannas Liverpool is ideal for group travellers, friends, couples and business professionals alike. You’ll love our cozy rooms, on-site restaurant and bar, friendly service, and unbeatable central location.
Looking for a cheap hotel in Liverpool? Kabannas has you covered! Whether you’re planning a fun city break in Liverpool, a mid-week stay, or you’re here on business, we offer affordable accommodation in Liverpool’s city centre that doesn’t skimp on comfort.
Located in the buzzing Cavern Quarter, Kabannas Hotel Liverpool is just a short walk from Liverpool Lime Steet Station and the famous Royal Albert Dock – right in the heart of the action. Step outside and dive into Liverpool’s vibrant nightlife, explore the city’s iconic landmarks, or kick back and relax in Kabin our on-site bar and cafe.
Image of Mathew Street (detail only) (c) Superchilum, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wiki Commons.
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